Rescued by My Grumpy Neighbor: A Forced Proximity Protector Romance

by Connie Blake

My summer escape was supposed to be safe.

Then my grumpy, smoke-streaked neighbor carried me out of a wildfire—and into his world.


Cal Walker is ex-military, built like sin, and speaks in one-word answers.
He’s also my landlord.
And now, thanks to a wildfire that burned down my cottage, my reluctant roommate.

I’m sunshine. He’s storm clouds.
I bake pies. He wrestles barbed wire.
But when he shows up for me and for my son without hesitation, I start to wonder what’s buried beneath all that gruff silence.

He’s protective. Intense. Completely wrong for me.
And every night under his roof, the tension between us scorches hotter.

Then he lets me see the scars.
I let him touch mine and suddenly I want everything I came here to forget.


But if I give him everything and he walks away like every man before him,

I’ll be forced to go back to the one place I swore I’d never return.

Not just for me… but for my son.

203 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 26, 2026

Reviews

[Ruth R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cal saved a women and her dog from burning, because her dog went to the wildfire and he drag them out, when she showed him where she’s living he thought’ great exactly what I needed a chatty , fearless neighbor ‘.
Harper is a digital designer she ‘s a single mum , she rented a small cottage for a quiet summer near a grumpy man, The day after the fire accident she knew he doesn’t want to be interrupted so she was on her porch drinking tea in peace when her son called that the water is splashing everywhere, she went to him for help she hadn’t other choice .
He helped her for the second time and tells her just don’t run into any more fires.
Every time she needed help he was two steps ahead,a neighbor tells to be careful because she heard that he was in military and he was danger, but she believed her instinct.

A lovely book that I enjoyed reading

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was such a good little story. Cal is the grumpy ex-military neighbor. Harper and her son Charlie move here to start over.
this is a fast little read. The way they both are scared of the same thing and keep pushing away from one another just brings out that stronger connection in the end! I love how Cal includes Charlie in daily chores and never gets tired of him, treats him as if hes is own! Cal thinks hes doesnt deserve happiness, but he deserves all the happiness.
The spice scene outside 😮‍💨🫠 HOT! 🖤

thank you for letting me arc read this. 🥰🖤

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited to receive an advanced digital copy of Rescued by My Grumpy Neighbor by Connie Blake.

This book is a hot slow dance between Cal and Harper that had me holding my breath wanting to know where their story would lead. Charlie's sweet innocence offered genuine chuckle moments that let me come up for much needed air.
This is a beautiful story that shows how much power unspoken words can have between two people.

[Jodi S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really easy to love.
The resilient single mum trying to start a fresh life with her little boy Charlie and the tormented ex-soldier still battling inner demons from his time serving, come together through acts of kindness and ultimately survival.
Charlie is the glue that keeps them coming back together and Cal's protective nature is always on the lookout and endless patience for the little boy.
The suspense of battling wildfires not once but twice keeps you enthralled.

[Krystal Maddox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very excited to receive my advanced digital copy and start reading! It was a simple, cute read, and Harper’s son Charlie was the obvious hit of the book.

I think the book would be better with more world building as the lay of the land wasn’t always clear and seemed to move around a lot. Also some of the dialogue between them during spicy scenes would have made more sense if he had said it instead of her.

Otherwise it was a cute, fast read.